Barnes Bay Regatta - It was a spinnaker charge to Bruny Island

10:03 AM Sat 10 Apr 2010 GMT

'Greg Prescott''s Melges 32 2Unlimited' Peter Campbell &copy

A 40-yacht spinnaker charge down the River Derwent and the D'Entrecasteaux Channel to Bruny Island today provided a spectacular finale? to the 2009-2010 summer of sailing in Hobart.

Running before a 10-12 north-westerly breeze, the fleet was competing in the passage race of the Barnes Bay Regatta, the traditional end-of-season event for yachts from Hobart, Channel and Huon clubs.

Led by the flying Melges 32 2Unlimited, skippered by Hobart-based international ocean racing yachtsman Greg Prescott, the fast spinnaker run saw the Division 1 fleet sail from Hobart to the finish off Bligh Point in just over two-and-a-half hours.

The Melges 32 crossed the line ahead of the Thompson 920 Tasmarine Constructions (Rob Gourlay) and Dump Truck (Justin Wells and Edward Fader).

Derwent Sailing Squadron Commodore Peter Geeves’s Lock On Wood -

While 2Unlimited took line honours in the race to Bligh Point, the spinnaker run favoured the smaller boats on handicap, with the Dubois 30 Lock on Wood, skippered by Derwent Sailing Squadron Commodore Peter Geeves, winning the Division 1 on corrected time from the Knoop 9.7, Steelin' Time (David Leake) from Kettering Yacht Club.

Third place went to Twitch, Rod Marshall's Lexcen 31, also from Kettering, while 2Unlimited placed 14th on corrected time.

Division 2 (non-spinnaker) saw the Kettering entrant Myfanwy, Adrian Marsh's Mottle 33, take first place on handicap after finishing second across the line to the Young 88 Footloose, skippered by Stewart Geeves from Bellerive Yacht Club. Third place went to Grizzly Adams, John Bultman's Adams 8 from the Derwent Sailing Squadron.

Unfortunately, the wind died away for the afternoon round-the-buoys race in Barnes Bay, resulting in a shortened course for the fleet that by then grown to 49 yachts. 2Unlimited scored an outright win in Division 1 from Twitch, third going to Bruny Island resident Leigh Davis, sailing Farrill.

In Division 2, the DSS entrant Riverdance (Wayne McNeice) won from Grizzly Adams and Zero Balance (Tony Lane) from the Kingborough Boating Club which conducts the Barnes Bay Yacht Club.

This evening more than 70 yachts and motor cruisers were moored in Barnes Bay, with some 300 crews, their families and friends enjoying the prizegiving at the Kingborough Boat Club's shorebase on Bruny Island.

by Peter Campbell